Study Buddies
by ponytail30527
Summary: A cute O.C./O.C. moment for my characters Athena and Buttons. Buttons needs help finding a history topic, so Athena helps him out and together they learn a little more than history.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, this is another one shot with another O.C. couple of mine. Not Marshal and Elli, but Buttons and Athena! **

**I don't own the Penguins of Madagascar.**

Buttons had been having trouble finding a good topic to write about, so Mr. Mason and Phil told him to wait after class, and they'd send someone to help him. Buttons had no idea, that it would be exactly who he wanted to work with.

Athena walked towards Buttons after school and plopped a history book in front of him on the teacher's desk, or the Zoovenier desk really. "Don't worry Buttons, with my help, you and I are going to find the perfect history topic." She said with a smile. She put her flipper around Buttons shoulder and tugged his head close to the side of her head, making Buttons blush. "Just think, this could be the start of the best history paper in mankind!" she said motioning her flipper from one side to another.

Buttons chuckled. "Uh-hu" he said trying to calm his blush down. He didn't know he'd be alone with…Athena for who knew how long to study.

Athena popped the book open. "Hmm…look at this! Andrew Jackson, George Washington, and lookie here, only three people signed the Declaration of Independence that represented Georgia. Interesting huh?" she said with a smile looking up at him again.

Buttons smiled too and looked down on the paper. He smiled at a name. "Here!" he grunted out pointing to a name on the paper. Athena looked to see what it was, and read the name _Button Gwinnett._

"Oh, he's one of the three people that signed the Declaration of Independence who represented Georgia." She said. She looked up at Buttons and smiled. "You want to do him?" she asked, and had to chuckle when Buttons nodded his head really fast. "Okay, then, Button Gwinnett it is." She said before peering in the book.

Buttons got out a piece of paper and hacked up a pencil. "Ready." He grunted out.

Athena looked down. "Okay, he was born in April in the year 1735." She started. They went over a few facts, and then, Athena got to his family. "He has a wife and three daughters. His wife's name is Ann Bourne, and together, they had three daughters. Their names were Amelia, Ann, and Elizabeth Ann." She laughed. "I guess they liked names that began with A."

Buttons looked up from his work and smiled. "Athena." He said it in a tone that almost sounded like he was speaking instead of grunting.

Athena got hot and started to blush. "Yeah, Athena does start with an A." she said. She didn't know why, but it almost sounded like flirting, but maybe that was just her. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down before facing Buttons. "I guess Buttons is a pretty cool name then huh?" she asked with a smile.

Buttons smiled. "Best!" he grunted making Athena laugh, but she wondered if it was nerves. Buttons seemed to notice this, and he put his flipper on her shoulder. "Okay?" he grunted out with his eyes full of worry, only making it worse.

Athena started to sweat. _What is wrong with me? It's just Buttons! I've played with him since we were out of the eggs, there's nothing to worry about. I mean, it's not like I'm…crushing on him, no Pft! _She said in her head, but then Buttons waved his flipper over her eyes getting her back into reality. "Right." She said embarrassed, but then she thought, why do I even care how I look around him?

Buttons smiled knowing she was alright and began to write down more facts. "Have fun?" he mumbled.

Athena, who was still out of it, shook her head and faced Buttons again. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Have fun?"

"Oh, of course I did! Why wouldn't I have fun with you? You're one of my best friends." She said.

Buttons smiled and his stomach fluttered. "Done?"

Athena smiled. "For today, how about we do it again tomorrow?" she said excited to see him again.

Buttons smiled and nodded, that's when he knew he had a crush.

**Young love! It's adorable isn't it? I hope you liked it, and sorry it was so short, hey, it's a one shot! XD besides, Ididn't want to bore you out with all the facts on Buttons Gwinnett, who I had to write a paper on once, and it gave me the idea.**

**Review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I wasn't planning on continuing this, but you all seemed to enjoy it, so here's ANOTHER chapter! **

**Enjoy….**

Athena was in the H.Q. doing a bit of her homework, but she could barely concentrate. She kept thinking about Buttons, another one of their study lessons were going to start again, in about twenty minutes. She looked around the H.Q. and saw he wasn't there. "Huh, I guess he's already at school." She said. She then smiled and headed over there.

Athena skipped to the school, but not because she was going to be in one of her favorite places in the zoo, because she was going to see Buttons again. She sighed blissfully and practically danced there, but she saw Marshal talking to Peanut and Eggy near their hotdog cart clubhouse. She walked past them normally, but when she was out of their sight, she skipped again. "I'm not even sure why, but I think Buttons is my best friend now!" she said to herself just blushing at the thought of him. I mean, they were always friends, but now it felt…different.

Buttons sat at the desk again with the book open. He kept getting butterflies at the thought of Athena. He had known her since she came out of the egg, and now, it was like they were getting closer. He liked it! He never head a best friend before, but sometimes, he wished he and Athena could be more than best friends, but he looked down sadly thinking that she was just too out of his league.

"Buttons?" Athena's voice called out as she stepped in the zoovenier shop, making Buttons perk back up.

Buttons smiled. "Here!" he grunted out waving his flipper over his head like an idiot. He just felt so happy.

Athena smiled and waddled over to him. "Okay Buttons, where were we?" she asked.

Buttons pointed to the textbook. "Ka-boom!" he shouted. His flipper was over a photo of the Revolutionary War.

Athena laughed. "Yeah, there's a good chance that there will be explosions in wars." She looked back down. "It's sad though." She said feeling sorry for those people, it was a still picture, but it was as if she could see it happening in her mind. It wasn't pretty. Buttons took note of this, and put his flipper around her shoulders making Athena's eyes widened in surprise.

"Okay now?" he grunted out with his flippers still wrapped around her.

_Am I okay? I'm going to faint! _Athena thought to herself, but she nodded her head, and Buttons let go of her shoulders. "Yeah, so…um…the book says, that…" she continued to stammer making Buttons cock his head to the side confused. She slammed the book closed making Buttons jump up frightened. "You know, let's take a small break!" she said with a nervous smile.

Buttons got confused again. They just started five minutes ago! Did she not like being around him?

Athena noticed the hurt in his eyes and practically read his mind. She shook her head with wide eyes and waved her flippers in front of her, not wanting to hurt her new friend's feelings. "Not that I don't like doing this! I think its fun, since, you know, we never do things together anymore. Remember how we used to do everything together when we were little? I sure do! It was fun, and with you!" She tried to explain, but it felt like she just stammered away.

Buttons smiled. "Me too." He grunted out.

Athena blushed. "Great."

Buttons waddled with Athena outside and smiled at her. He liked the way she acted when she was curious about anything that came her way, he liked how she could come up with a solution to anything it seemed, he liked the way her eyes wandered around her room, and he liked her. "Like." He blurted out, but then he covered his beak.

Athena looked at him. "What?"

Buttons shook his head with his beak still covered. "Nu-uh." He grunted out.

Athena giggled. "Come on, tell me!" she playfully nudged him, but that only made Buttons get that fluttery feeling from the contact of her flipper on him.

Buttons sighed. "Tired." He lied, but part of it was true, he was tired of pretending he didn't care for Athena like he did. He smiled at her. "Home?"

Athena cocked a brow. "What about your history project?"

Buttons rolled his eyes with a smile. "Tomorrow." He grunted out.

Athena smiled wider. She had come to love his voice. It was like his grunt was a CD she wanted to play over and over and over again. He rarely spoke, so it was like a treasure when he talked to her, and she enjoyed it. The two waddled along the wall, just then, one of the zoo's speakers started to play. Athena looked up. "I guess it's malfunctioning again." She said with a laugh, she had to blush when the song started playing.

"_I never gone with the wind  
Just let it flow  
let it take me where it wants to go  
till you open the door there's so much more  
I never seen it before  
I was trying to fly  
but I couldn't find wings  
but you came along and you changed everything." _

Athena blushed, and was pretty shocked to see Buttons's little down feathered flipper handed out to her. "Y-you want me to dance w-with you?" she stammered. Her heart pounded inside her chest, and she took it when Buttons nodded. The two held each other close and Athena laid her head on her dance partner's chest, but she wondered if he could feel how hot her blush seemed as she did.__

"you lift my feet off the ground you spin me around  
you make me crazier, crazier  
feels like I'm falling  
and I'm lost in your eyes  
you make me crazier, crazier, crazier" While they lyrics flowed out of the speakers, Buttons smiled down at Athena. He felt so happy, and he twirled her around.__

"I watched from a distance as you made life your own  
every sky was your own kind of blue  
and I wanted to know how that would feel  
and you made it so real  
you showed me something that i couldn't see  
you opened my eyes and you made me believe" Athena thought the song was oddly similar to her and Buttons in a way. Buttons really was different from her, he thought the sky was blue, and she thought it was the sun lighting up the atmosphere. It was the same thing, but there was a difference.__

"You lift my feet off the ground you spin me around  
you make me crazier, crazier  
feels like I'm falling  
and I'm lost in your eyes  
you make me crazier, crazier, crazier

_ohhhhh_

Baby you showed me what living is for  
I don't want to hide anymoooorrre"

you lift my feet off the ground you spin me around  
you make me crazier, crazier  
feels like I'm falling  
and I'm lost in your eyes  
you make me crazier, crazier, crazier  
crazier, crazier" Athena and Buttons let go of each other when the song ended, and both were blushing like wild fire. "Thanks." Athena finally managed to stutter out. What if she really was falling for Buttons? What would her proud father, the smartest penguin of his military team, think of her liking a boy who could barely speak his name? She didn't know, but she didn't know this would happen either.

Buttons smiled. "I wanted to." He spoke out best he could, but even though it was a bit raspy, it was like another track on Athena's version of his CD. The two friends looked at the clock; they weren't really expected home till the afternoon, so they decided to have a little fun. "Wanna go watch the clouds?" Athena asked.

Buttons nodded and followed her to where they could see it perfectly, the clock tower.

Little did the couple know, they were just spotted by Marshal, Eggy, and Peanut.

"Oh" Eggy started with wide eyes at what just happened.

"My" Marshal said shocked too.

"Gosh" Peanut finished, just as shocked at his friends.

"That was GOLD!" Peanut said before chuckling a bit. "Too bad no one's gonna believe that just happened." He said with a small shrug.

Marshal looked up at the zoo's surveillance camera. "Don't be too sure about that buddy." He said with a small trouble grin. "Don't be too sure." He repeated.

**Oh snap! What's gonna happen?!?!**

**Major, and I mean MAJOR, shout out to kvcpenguin for helping me out with this!!!**

**Also, this is a story where she likes Buttons, but in another great story, ****Geeze Doumani by halfhuman123, she likes someone named Cube. Read that story if you get a chance, it might have some Athena/Buttons moments in her story though! : )**

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the THIRD chapter! Buttons and Athena are meant be…right?**

Athena and Buttons sat on top of the clock tower watching the clouds roll by. "Doggy!" Buttons grunted out. He nudged Athena, who was too busy thinking and staring into space to listen again, and pointed to the dog shaped cloud that caught his attention. "See?" he asked still pointing to it.

Athena looked up at what he was pointing at. "Oh, a cumulonimbus cloud, yeah, it's pretty Buttons." Athena said, but she was confused when he kept pointing at it and saying doggy. It finally clicked her. "Oh!" she looked back up and saw that it _was _shaped like a dog. "Interesting, I can see the floppy ears and even the paws." She commented.

She looked over at Buttons, he might've not said it in words, but it was like he was telling her to stop thinking, and just to enjoy herself. She smiled, but it dropped when she saw the clock. "Buttons, we were supposed to be home twenty minutes ago!" she exclaimed shaking Buttons's side, before the two made their way down and headed home.

The two waddled close to each other, side by side to be exact. Athena could feel the down feathers of her flipper brush next to Buttons, but she wanted him to just grab her flipper. Similar to what the couples do on Elli's princess movies when the prince and princess are together, she enjoyed those movies, but not for the same reason Elli did, she was very interested in that form of government for some reason. She didn't have any idea that Buttons wanted to do that, but he didn't want to go into Athena's personal space.

The two were so busy rushing home, that they didn't see Marshal, Peanut, and Eggy over at the zoo camera that had the footage of the two dancing moments earlier. "Almost got it?" Peanut grunted as he stood at the bottom of the stack. Marshal, who was at the top, was so close.

"Just a little higher!" Marshal said reaching for it, but then their stack fell over and they fell on the ground with a thud. "Okay, a lot higher." He said with a sigh before the two tried again.

**At the H.Q. . . . . . . . . . **

Athena and Buttons finally made it home. "Maybe no one noticed." Athena said hopefully. Buttons nodded in agreement, but the two frowned when they entered the H.Q. to see four nervous looking penguins that looked right at them when they came in the room.

"Where in the name of ancient bagels have you two been?" Skipper asked putting his flippers on his sides, looking down at the two with a stern look.

Athena and Buttons smiled nervously. "You know, just got so caught up in the history project, and time flew right by." Athena said, luckily, she was a pretty good liar, but she could feel the blush coming. Athena usually blushes when she's nervous. Of course, her dad noticed this.

"Athena." Kowalski said looking down at his daughter.

"Yeah," Athena said, but she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"You're blushing, you aren't lying to us by any chance are you?" he asked leaning down to his daughter, so she could see the mixture of worry and a stern look in his blue eyes.

Athena's blush deepened. She took a deep breath and tried to calm it down. "Well, Buttons and I realized it was late, so we ran over here. I'm just blushing because I need to take a breath and calm down." She said. Most of it was true, they did hurry over here, but she didn't feel tired at all, but thankfully, Kowalski and the others bought it, or that's what it appeared.

"Okay then, when Marshal gets back from playing over at his buddy's house, tell him that we went to the surveillance area to see if any suspicious activity has been going on lately." Skipper said, making Buttons and Athena's hearts stop for a second, but it made up that time be beating faster than it should've.

"O-okay" Buttons grunted out.

He and Athena waved goodbye to their dads and uncles as they made their way out of the H.Q. on their bellies. When they were gone, the two looked at each other with wide eyes. "Oh My Gosh!" they hollered, or grunted, out at the same time. Knowing that on one of those tapes, would be the footage of them dancing. Athena wouldn't even get a chance to explain now if her dad saw it.

Athena started to freak out. "Okay, let's calm down here. One, we run away and get jobs at holiday store displays, or two, we beg. Beg like a puppy without a home! Do you hear me Buttons!" she said shaking his shoulders in an aggressive way, making her look like a crazy nutcase.

Buttons made his way out of her death lock and nodded his head a little frightened. "Yep." He said.

"Good." Athena said with a smile and nod, happy to get her point across.

Just then, an angry Marshal came in, or stormed in it seemed. He had his flippers crossed angrily and was pouting like a stubborn five year old. "I wanted that tape." He mumbled angrily, but Athena and Buttons couldn't hear him.

Elli, who was sitting at the table doing her homework, looked up. "What's wrong, Marshal?" he asked with a small look of worry in her voice.

Marsha either didn't hear her, or was too mad to care, because he didn't reply. "I'm gonna watch T.V." he said.

"Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the incubation chamber this morning." Athena said, but she shut up when Marshal shot her one of the angriest glares she had ever seen from him. "Okay, never mind." She whispered backing away from him nervously. She waddled over to the table where Elli was and looked over at Buttons.

Elli looked up from her homework and saw Athena by her. "Oh, hello Athena." She said with a smile as she sat down her pencil. "I need to tell you about this! Haley, Nellie, Lilly, and I were at the picnic table…Athena? Athena?" she said waving her flipper in front of Athena's eyes, making her blink and come back into reality. "What's wrong Athena?" she asked a little hurt that she was being ignored. She noticed she was looking at something. She looked over to see that she was looking at Buttons. "Athena, why are you…" then it clicked. She got a big smile on her face.

"I wonder how many pounds he keeps in his stomach." Athena mumbled to herself, but she then felt Elli shaking her flipper. She turned around and saw Elli had one of the biggest grins on her face. "Uh…yes?" she asked the goofy grinned penguin.

Elli giggled. "You wouldn't by any chance, have a crush on Buttons do you?"

Athena blushed. "What? Pft! Nah! No! Nope! W-what would make you think such a thing?" she stammered, and now her blush was coming back. _Great! Now EVERYONE'S gonna know! _She thought to herself.

Elli squealed, making Athena cover her ears. "You do! You do! I'm so happy for you!" she said, before giving Athena a big hug. "You two are great for each other! Different, yes, but they do say opposites attract." She pointed out, making her thoughts go to Marshal, she and him were opposites, and so does that mean they were meant to be?

Athena opened her beak, but just then, an aggravated looking Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private came in. "I can't believe it! This is worse than the time Manfredey and Johnson failed the mission to capture the pink frosted bunnies on that small island on the coat of Ecuador!" Skipper hollered frustrated.

Athena gulped. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Everyone looked towards the girls. "Do you want to know what was on the tape nearest to the music pole that always malfunctions?" Skipper asked putting his flippers at his sides.

Athena and Buttons started to sweat. "What?" Buttons asked.

**Oh snap! Did they catch them? Are Athena and Buttons meant to be?**

**Review please! : ) still want to give a shout out to kvcpenguin, where I got some of the words! Thanks, again! **


	4. Chapter 4

**What did Skipper and his team see? Find out now!**

"Nothing, someone stole the tape out of there!" Skipper answered, throwing his flipper in the air angrily, but making Athena and Buttons nearly fall over in relief. "This arouses my suspicion to a dangerously high level, I want a full search for that tape men, are we clear?" he asked, and Skipper smiled when his team saluted back.

When Skipper and his team left, Athena and Buttons sighed. "I know where the tape is." A voice said behind them. Buttons and Athena turned around to see Marshal. Athena's heart stopped for a second in shock, he knew.

"What tape? There's no tape! Who said there was a tape!?" Athena stammered and started blushing again.

"A tape?" Elli repeated confused. She cocked her head to the side confused.

Marshal crossed his flippers angrily as he remembered something. "Well, Peanut has it, cause I can't keep it around the people who were caught." He said mimicking Peanut's voice. He shook his head coming back into reality. "Anyways, I saw you two." He said with a small cool grin, making Athena and Buttons blush and not knowing what to say.

"What? I'm confused!" Elli said.

"It's nothing Elli." Athena said, not wanting_ another _person to know about this.

Marshal smiled at her. "I don't know, but I'm sure it was something. Something you and Buttons should talk about." He said before waddling out in the hall. He walked by Elli, but when she kept looking at Buttons and Athena, who looked really embarrassed and weren't looking at each other, he grabbed her flipper and dragged her in the hallway with him, but no one said they'd leave the room.

"Marshal, what are you doing?" Elli whispered.

Marshal shushed her. "Look out there." He said pointing to a small crack in the doorway, revealing Athena and Buttons.

Athena finally got the guts to look into Buttons's eyes. "He's right, we should talk about our, uh, you know…actions." She said blushing, but when Buttons just stayed quiet, she decided to continue. She cleared her throat, not really sure what to say. "You see, I-"

"Like." Buttons grunted out.

Athena's eye widened. "W-what?" she stammered. She nearly fainted.

Buttons smiled at her, and then he grabbed her flipper, pulling a very shocked and red Athena up to him. She was so close; she could see her shocked expression reflect in his blue eyes. "Like." he repeated. He was embarrassed, but happy to get that secret off of his chest. "you." He added, making Athena smile and blush even harder.

Athena was so happy, Buttons did like her. She pulled Buttons into a big hug, making Buttons smile, but it quickly disappeared when Athena spoke up after burying her head in his neck. "I want to be friends too." She said before hugging him harder. Buttons was happy she wanted to be friends, but was that it?

Buttons sighed a little said he didn't get his _real _point across, but he patted her back. "Good." He grunted out. His neck felt a little sore from her beak being rubbed against it, but the pain numbed down. Hey, they may not be a couple, but it's a start!

Elli giggled as she watched the two hug. She turned to Marshal. "You helped them out?" she asked a little shocked, Marshal, of all the people.

Marshal smiled. "Kinda."

Elli giggled and hugged Marshal. "I'm proud of you! Doesn't it feel great to do the right thing?"

Marshal thought for a moment. "So-and-so." He said, making Elli roll her eyes, but strangely, she didn't let go of him.

A few hours later, Skipper and his team returned home tired from searching for that tape, that Peanut had kept perfectly hidden. "Sorry we couldn't find the tape Skippa, maybe tomorrow." Private said, trying to lift the spirits, but they were too flat on the ground to lift.

Skipper sighed. "We'll check first think in the am."

Rico moaned not wanting to wake up early.

Kowalski sighed. "Well at least the smiling faces of our young will cheer us up after a failed mission." He said, making Skipper shoot him a glare. Skipper didn't like to call his missions failed, just unsolved ones. Kowalski popped his head through the door and saw his daughter Athena sitting next to Buttons helping him out with some homework, luckily, the table blocked the fact that Athena and Buttons were holding flippers.

**Aw, their friends! :)**

**Poor Button though, he and Athena aren't a couple…yet! XD**

**Review please! Also, this is the end! **


End file.
